Did you ever hear about a book that sounded fantastic? Some books just jump out and grab my attention. The various comments I read about The Chronoliths really caught my interest. I was afraid that the book would not live up to my expectations. Call me old fashioned but I still like to go to used book stores and find treasures. Robert Charles Wilson's novels all sounded interesting but this one was the one I wanted to read first. So, of course, I found Spin, Axis, and Darwinia but no copies of The Chronoliths. The other day I stopped and looked at the sale rack at our library. Due to space limitations, they regularly pull some books and sell them to raise money for new books. What did I happen to stumble upon? You got it. This book turned out to be even better than I imagined.
A warlord in the future starts sending indestructable monoliths(the chronoliths of the title) back through time. Each one is a tribute to a victory he acheived 20 years and 3 months in the future. The mystery is can the future be changed? Did the warlord actually conquer the areas the monoliths claim or is he trying to create the image of an invincible leader in the minds of the people? What if the response of the people in the novel actually creates the warlord in the future? The amazing thing about this novel is the characters the author creates. In the face of these big questions, the characters come to life. When I finished the book, I came away with the feeling that I really knew the people in the story. If his other books are close to being this good, Robert Charles Wilson will become one of my favorite authors.
Highly recommended.
Rating: 5 out of 5.
2 comments:
Good book! RCW is one of my favorites. I'm reading his short story collection now. And Darwinia is simply fantastic.
I have Darwinia, Spin, and Axis sitting on my shelf. Our library has Blind Lake. After I read through some other books, I plan on reviewing one of the ones listed above.
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